Drive Killers - Giants game

[TexasRam]

Below are my notes after rewatching the game:

Drive Killers

1. Everett Fumble -- Turnover

2. Goff doesn't find Brown on left side, takes a sack -- Punt
(Earlier in the possession - Two failed screens in red zone (1) Edwards fails to let his man rush through Brown tackled on the screen (2) Everett fails to block his man, Woods stuffed)

3. Malcom Brown bobbles underneath throw and gets only 2 yards after catch, though defenders are 7 yards away -- Punt
(Earlier in the possession - Kupp screen snuffed out for no gain)

4. Reynolds route covered perfectly. Goff overthrows -- Punt

5. Kupp overthrow great coverage on 3rd and 6. Had Brown for the checkdown -- Punt

6. Mcvay goes conservative and calls a run on third and long -- Punt

Summary: Goff needs to find his checkdown a little better, Mcvay a little too conservative and predictable, a turnover, a few missed blocks, Good coverage by Giants.

Other Observations

• Obo had a great game rushing the QB, tremendous quickness on those stunts especially with Donald.
• The Entire front 4 was getting excellent pressure.
• Staley dialed some blitzes which forced incompletions and made the QB uncomfortable. Though on one play Reeder failed to cover the RB.
• Young and Kiser had trouble shedding blocks but Kiser is still overall a plus player and a solid tackler.
• Darius Williams made more plays then just the interception.
• Troy Hill had a few solid plays including a key breakup in crunch time.
• Ramsey's 3rd and 3 stop was HUGE, he blew past a blocker to make that play.
• Rapp's ability to diagnose a play and come up and make the tackle is excellent. He had some great coverage at times as well. Bad angle on one tackle but overall he is a difference maker.
• JJ had a solid game, showed the solid coverage, tackling and diagnosis that makes him a solid player.
• Floyd's overall game really is excellent. Several pressures and a sack called back due to Hill's penalty. Floyds ability to chip the back or TE coming into his zone and then rush the passer is text book perfect. He has grown on me and I would say his overall game is very positive to our defense. He plays smart and in this game made several positive plays.
• Brockers appears to be getting better on the stunts, I think his work with Donald on Technique is really rubbing off.
• Gaines made at least a few strong plays coming off his man to blow up the run. He had one play where he got beat though, still a work in progress but flashing.
• SJD is better then he gets credit for. In this game he defeated blocks several times and got in on tackles.
• Burgess was in on a few plays and showed quick reaction.
• Hollins starting to flash some, got a sack. He's not as destructive or quick as Obo at this stage.
• Ebukam was a man possessed this game and actually made some plays. He did get juked a few times and take some bad angles as he often does but overall redeemed himself from a rough start to the season. Some hustle on the backside allowed him to get in on some plays.
• Everett missed more than a few tackles and this is a common thing I have seen on tape all year. He is the Noteboom of the TE group. He just misses blocks or takes a bad angle. If we opted for a better blocking TE I believe the offense would be more consistent. He would probably be better in a scheme where he is more of a pass catcher and less of a blocker in my opinion. He often hurts the offense.
• Higbee is hit or miss on his blocks, a few plays were blown up because he missed a block. He is more consistent then Everett and often gets critical blocks executed perfectly.
• O-line in general had a real solid game. The lack of runs was mainly due to our RB's unable to break a tackle vs a LB on occasion. Edwards had some strong blocks, one in particular he moved a guy completely out of the play opening a massive hole for a 9 yard gain. The pass blocking was solid by the entire line from what I could tell, with the exception of the one breakdown between Blythe and Corbett. I didn't review each block play by play to give a score in this game.
• Play calls were very conservative. I think Mcvay was playing it safe and emphasizing 2nd string players to avoid injury. Reynolds, Brown, Everett, Muntz.
• Brown is a solid backup. Great short yardage back. But his inability to make moves in the open field or juke a defender in space shows. It effects the offense. His bobbling balls and dropping balls also slows down the offense. In this game there were two catches he made where he got nearly zero yards ultimately resulting in punts. Top backs can commonly juke and get bigger gains. I'm looking to see if Cam can really get going and make people miss in open space and catch the ball better.
• Goff needs to calibrate his timing and be a tad more patient. I am the biggest Goff fan but in this game he missed Brown twice near the sideline on third down wide open that could have resulted in a first down instead of a punt. The pass protection was really solid and I believe he his internal clock is a little off. He doesn't realize he has another second to find that open guy. I don't blame him, it may take a few games to build that trust and confidence. His overthrows to Kupp and Reynolds in this were actually good overthrows due to perfect coverage, not sure if they were intentional but they were neccessary to avoid interception. Especially in a close game vs the Giants offense.
• The Rams Defense is now #2 in the NFC in points allowed. Lots of room to grow but if we stay healthy it could be good enough to take us deep in the post season with our top offense. The pass rush in this game was really good and Staley's willingness to dial up some blitzes is a real good sign.

 

[Memento]

Below are my notes after rewatching the game:

Drive Killers

1. Everett Fumble -- Turnover

2. Goff doesn't find Brown on left side, takes a sack -- Punt
(Earlier in the possession - Two failed screens in red zone (1) Edwards fails to let his man rush through Brown tackled on the screen (2) Everett fails to block his man, Woods stuffed)

3. Malcom Brown bobbles underneath throw and gets only 2 yards after catch, though defenders are 7 yards away -- Punt
(Earlier in the possession - Kupp screen snuffed out for no gain)

4. Reynolds route covered perfectly. Goff overthrows -- Punt

5. Kupp overthrow great coverage on 3rd and 6. Had Brown for the checkdown -- Punt

6. Mcvay goes conservative and calls a run on third and long -- Punt

Summary: Goff needs to find his checkdown a little better, Mcvay a little too conservative and predictable, a turnover, a few missed blocks, Good coverage by Giants.

Other Observations

• Obo had a great game rushing the QB, tremendous quickness on those stunts especially with Donald.
• The Entire front 4 was getting excellent pressure.
• Staley dialed some blitzes which forced incompletions and made the QB uncomfortable. Though on one play Reeder failed to cover the RB.
• Young and Kiser had trouble shedding blocks but Kiser is still overall a plus player and a solid tackler.
• Darius Williams made more plays then just the interception.
• Troy Hill had a few solid plays including a key breakup in crunch time.
• Ramsey's 3rd and 3 stop was HUGE, he blew past a blocker to make that play.
• Rapp's ability to diagnose a play and come up and make the tackle is excellent. He had some great coverage at times as well. Bad angle on one tackle but overall he is a difference maker.
• JJ had a solid game, showed the solid coverage, tackling and diagnosis that makes him a solid player.
• Floyd's overall game really is excellent. Several pressures and a sack called back due to Hill's penalty. Floyds ability to chip the back or TE coming into his zone and then rush the passer is text book perfect. He has grown on me and I would say his overall game is very positive to our defense. He plays smart and in this game made several positive plays.
• Brockers appears to be getting better on the stunts, I think his work with Donald on Technique is really rubbing off.
• Gaines made at least a few strong plays coming off his man to blow up the run. He had one play where he got beat though, still a work in progress but flashing.
• SJD is better then he gets credit for. In this game he defeated blocks several times and got in on tackles.
• Burgess was in on a few plays and showed quick reaction.
• Hollins starting to flash some, got a sack. He's not as destructive or quick as Obo at this stage.
• Ebukam was a man possessed this game and actually made some plays. He did get juked a few times and take some bad angles as he often does but overall redeemed himself from a rough start to the season. Some hustle on the backside allowed him to get in on some plays.
• Everett missed more than a few tackles and this is a common thing I have seen on tape all year. He is the Noteboom of the TE group. He just misses blocks or takes a bad angle. If we opted for a better blocking TE I believe the offense would be more consistent. He would probably be better in a scheme where he is more of a pass catcher and less of a blocker in my opinion. He often hurts the offense.
• Higbee is hit or miss on his blocks, a few plays were blown up because he missed a block. He is more consistent then Everett and often gets critical blocks executed perfectly.
• O-line in general had a real solid game. The lack of runs was mainly due to our RB's unable to break a tackle vs a LB on occasion. Edwards had some strong blocks, one in particular he moved a guy completely out of the play opening a massive hole for a 9 yard gain. The pass blocking was solid by the entire line from what I could tell, with the exception of the one breakdown between Blythe and Corbett. I didn't review each block play by play to give a score in this game.
• Play calls were very conservative. I think Mcvay was playing it safe and emphasizing 2nd string players to avoid injury. Reynolds, Brown, Everett, Muntz.
• Brown is a solid backup. Great short yardage back. But his inability to make moves in the open field or juke a defender in space shows. It effects the offense. His bobbling balls and dropping balls also slows down the offense. In this game there were two catches he made where he got nearly zero yards ultimately resulting in punts. Top backs can commonly juke and get bigger gains. I'm looking to see if Cam can really get going and make people miss in open space and catch the ball better.
• Goff needs to calibrate his timing and be a tad more patient. I am the biggest Goff fan but in this game he missed Brown twice near the sideline on third down wide open that could have resulted in a first down instead of a punt. The pass protection was really solid and I believe he his internal clock is a little off. He doesn't realize he has another second to find that open guy. I don't blame him, it may take a few games to build that trust and confidence. His overthrows to Kupp and Reynolds in this were actually good overthrows due to perfect coverage, not sure if they were intentional but they were neccessary to avoid interception. Especially in a close game vs the Giants offense.
• The Rams Defense is now #2 in the NFC in points allowed. Lots of room to grow but if we stay healthy it could be good enough to take us deep in the post season with our top offense. The pass rush in this game was really good and Staley's willingness to dial up some blitzes is a real good sign.

I agree with what you're saying. In addition, I thought that Polite flashed on a few plays. When we get Lewis back, I'm hoping that Patrick is the one sent down, not Polite; I don't want to lose the latter.

 

[ArkyRamsFan]

Texas,
Thanks for your post game analyses, I speak for many when I say we really appreciate your time and effort in this endeavor.
I liked your comments on Leonard Floyd. My question is with Kiser out of action for awhile would it a good idea to put Floyd at MLB on passing downs and see if he can cover better than Reeder, et al.
Let me know what you think.

~ArkyRamsFan~

 

[fearsomefour]

Mostly agree with this post.
Goff is slow in his progressions when he is confused.
He held the ball plenty in this game.
Even with that there was nothing downfield until Kupps TD.
Before that long pass be averaging under 5 yards per attempt.
So, he was holding ball and everything was short or a check down.
It was a strange game.
Will take an ugly win though.

 

[Psycho_X]

Texas,
Thanks for your post game analyses, I speak for many when I say we really appreciate your time and effort in this endeavor.
I liked your comments on Leonard Floyd. My question is with Kiser out of action for awhile would it a good idea to put Floyd at MLB on passing downs and see if he can cover better than Reeder, et al.
Let me know what you think.

~ArkyRamsFan~

Floyd doesn't have the hip turn to play coverage imo. He's fast ish straight line but a bit lumbering in change of direction like most outside rushing LBers are.

I'm not sure what the answer is for Kiser replacement. Reeder is slow and not good in coverage at all but as a straight up attacker to the line of scrimmage he's probably the best of what we have left. I'm guessing a mix of Reeder on run downs with Rapp playing wil and being main coverage guy is the way they'll go.

 

[leoram]

Good OP analysis. Especially agree about Brown. He just seemed slow and unimaginative with his moves in space.
As for the "improved" pass rush. The Giants have a TERRIBLE OLine. Staley having to dial up blitzes that occasionally get home is very concerning to me, especially against the Giants. It may happen again this Sunday as the Washington OLine isn't much better. Sorry, but I fear the Packers and Seahawks could make this defense look helpless.

 

[Ewe83]

Mostly agree with this post.
Goff is slow in his progressions when he is confused.
He held the ball plenty in this game.
Even with that there was nothing downfield until Kupps TD.
Before that long pass be averaging under 5 yards per attempt.
So, he was holding ball and everything was short or a check down.
It was a strange game.
Will take an ugly win though.

Yeah I feel like we've seen improvement with him on this but he still has work to do on it, I think it will come with more experience

 

[fearsomefour]

Yeah I feel like we've seen improvement with him on this but he still has work to do on it, I think it will come with more experience

Agreed.
I don’t think Goff is near his peak.
Pocket passers usually improve over time, slowly.
I think Goff has years of upward trajectory left.
He may peak out in terms of physical and mental game about 32-34 years old.
Usually, with mentally strong QBs they can offset physicals declines for a bit with the mental game.

 

[snackdaddy]

We're just lucky we played a weak team. That game coulda been lost to quite a few other teams. Hopefully they learn from it. Washington isn't a good team but they have first round talent on their defense. Rams gotta assume no team is that bad. Maybe they overlooked the Giants? That one feels like we got away with one.

 

[Ewe83]

Yep, he just needs to get more comfortable with being uncomfortable, he's getting better but is still a bit panicky when pressured, not that I blame him, but with experience he'll get better with making something out of those situations

 

[fearsomefour]

Floyd doesn't have the hip turn to play coverage imo. He's fast ish straight line but a bit lumbering in change of direction like most outside rushing LBers are.

I'm not sure what the answer is for Kiser replacement. Reeder is slow and not good in coverage at all but as a straight up attacker to the line of scrimmage he's probably the best of what we have left. I'm guessing a mix of Reeder on run downs with Rapp playing wil and being main coverage guy is the way they'll go.

The lack of change or direction, or as you say, hip turn is a problem for Kiser and Ebukam as well.

 

[Merlin]

Nice game summary Texas.

I think a better offense finishes some of those drives we gave up to the Giants. But yeah I'll never complain in giving up 9 points.

Getting Fuller back this week is a relief. This secondary is the strength of the defense but it's not the same with Fuller out.

And I think Akers will be the guy at RB. IMO Hendy wears down over the game if he doesn't have good seams. Brown is best in limited looks. In that last game we saw the need for a back who can grind but still threaten in the pass game. Getting Akers back for that Washington front is big.

 

[LouisvilleRam]

Great post, Brown did have 2 nice catches on our opening TD drive. The first one was on third down and was a incredible grab for a RB.

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

I think a lot of our offense is execution-dependent, and sort of gets lost trying make a play or create off schedule. Never thought I'd say this, but I guess for Goff that plays into the "system QB" narrative.

Glad you saw bright spots in our D--that's encouraging. I'm still disturbed by the run gashes, "longest running play of the season for the Giants," etc. I hope we can find some answers there.

Brown--seemed like he was slicing into holes faster the first couple games, and now he's trying some jukes or something that slow him down.....

 

[Faceplant]

We're just lucky we played a weak team. That game coulda been lost to quite a few other teams. Hopefully they learn from it. Washington isn't a good team but they have first round talent on their defense. Rams gotta assume no team is that bad. Maybe they overlooked the Giants? That one feels like we got away with one.

Yeah, I gotta be honest. I am not sure the Rams beat any other team in the NFL with that effort.

That game took a LOT of my hopes away for this team this season. Good teams just do NOT do that. That offensive effort reminded me of the first game against the whiners last year....absolutely listless...but this was the fucking GIANTS???!!!!

 

[nighttrain]

Yeah, I gotta be honest. I am not sure the Rams beat any other team in the NFL with that effort.

That game took a LOT of my hopes away for this team this season. Good teams just do NOT do that. That offensive effort reminded me of the first game against the whiners last year....absolutely listless...but this was the fucking GIANTS???!!!!

Reason for win, Rams are just very very good, otherwise we lose
train

 

[dieterbrock]

Seemed like they were ready to roll until the Everett fumble, had faced only 1 3rd down on opening drive, Everett catches the pass for 10 and then they went flat.
Maybe all the travel caught up with them, they'll be up it against it again this week

 

[Ram65]

The ebb and flow of the NFL where bad teams play better and good teams play worse in certain weeks. The Giants came in and got physical. The Rams held there own but, could not pull away. The Rams got behind the chains a little more this week. The Giants seemed to have good double coverage on key third downs at least two that we could see on TV.

Everetts fumble did hurt the momentum. The missed blocking assignment by Blythe was also a big drive killer in the red zone.

I don't think Everett blocked all that badly. Higs missed a couple. Brown does look a little slow but, I think the Giants covered him and others well to stop third-down conversions.

I think this was a week the Giants manned up. It looked like they covered the Rams well. I know Goff missed going to Brown on the early third down but, I'm not sure how many open WR the Rams had during the entire game. I think they were coached up. McVay also went conservative. He got the win so it worked.

 

[nighttrain]

Ugly win, but that's still a W, as Forrest would say, "IT HAPPENS"
train

 

[JRobinson]

Like it TexasRam dude.. good work.

Mental mistakes and just not fundamentally sound on plays is what caused the stalls. Also, I think its fair and right to credit the Giants as their backups played pretty good football. And sometimes, there are teams that just match up better against you. A W we all expected, but not as dominate as youd thunk it.